A DISTRAUGHT girlfriend yesterday told how she desperately tried to save her 26-year-old partner who died after falling out of bed.

Stephanie Evans, of Church Road, Buckley, had nudged 6ft 4in boyfriend Craig Wall to stop him snoring, causing him to fall from the bed, an inquest heard.

She said on May 11 he had gone for a motorcycle ride with some friends on his 750cc Yamaha and that night they had ended up watching TV.

Craig had bought a couple of cans of strong lager, drank one and smoked cannabis.

He appeared to be laughing and joking and acting as though he was drunk, although she said he had not had enough drink to be drunk.

She went to bed and left Craig sitting on the settee watching TV. Later he also went to bed.

She told the inquest at Flint: "I woke up and he was snoring, but it was like a gurgling snore. I gave him a dig in the ribs and he fell out of bed, face down. I turned the light on."

Within minutes she realised something was wrong, Craig had frothy matter coming out his nose. She rang the ambulance service and they gave her telephone instructions on resuscitation while the ambulance was despatched.

"It was a total shock, he was not ill, he had not been unwell. I can't believe what has happened," she said.

A post mortem revealed he had no medical problems. Drink and drugs were not involved in his death.

Craig, who weighed more than 17 stone, was a fork-lift truck mechanic. At the time of his death, he was living with his girlfriend at Wood Lane, in Hawarden.

Stephanie said Craig had banged his head at work shortly before his death. He had been for a check-up to hospital, but did not appear to have suffered any long-term effects.

Craig's mother, Ann Margaret Wall, of Liverpool Road, Neston, Wirral, said he was born in Chester and had lived in Hoole, Northophall and Rhosesmor.

He had suffered no unusual childhood illnesses and had been very active.

When he was about 20, he met Stephanie and they moved in together at Hawarden. Craig was not a heavy drinker but it had come as a great surprise to her to discover he had been smoking cannabis.

Pathologist Dr Anthony Burdge said toxicology results showed very small amounts of alcohol and traces of cannabis but nothing which would contribute to Craig's death. The only significant finding was the vomit. "Unfortunately, the cause of death is unclear," said Dr Burdge.

North East Wales coroner John Hughes said there was no organic disease, no body marks and nothing in toxicology findings to explain the death. There was nothing to explain the vomit he inhaled and he recorded an open verdict.